Machine for making button-fasteners.



I F. G. NEUBERTH. MACHINE FOR MAKING BUTTON FASTENERS.

APPLIGATION FILED APR. 13,1912.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

W/T/VESSASSI $.44? a. 44 4 description, in connection with the FRANKLIN G. NEUBERTH, 0F ANSONIA, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BUTTON-FASTENERS.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FIANKLIN G. NEU- nrn'rn, a citizen of'the U ted States, residing at Ansonia, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain improvements in Machines for Making BHtton-liastcners, of which the following accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for making wire tasteners such as the shank of a button-and is herein shown as embodied in a machine for making a shank for use in the metalbntton disclosed in my co-pending application Serial- No. 659,523, filed November 10', 1911. The shank of that button comprises a substantially circular loop or eye with feetfektending outwardly from the lower side "of the eye and 'in the plane of the eye, the miter ends of the feet being bent in opposite di rections out of the plane of the eye and preferabiy curved to correspond to the curvatureof the button head.

One object of the present invention is to provide automatic mechanism for producing a'shank oi this description, although the invention is not limited in its application to the production of a fastener of this, or any other particular style. 1n the manufacture of such articles it is customary to employ a series of bending tools whiclrare op erated iin the proper timed relation for shaping a piece of wire into the required form.

An important feature vention consists in the holder in which the bending tools are mounted and a single cam disk arranged to surround the tool holder and having separate gait faces hich operate on the tools when the cam diiik and tool holder are relatively turned. Such a construction presents the advantages of sim licity and compactness and may be embodied to a good advanta e in automatic machinery for constructing t e entire button.

Another important feature of the invention relates to the devices by which the outer ends of the feet of the shank are bent out of the plane of the eyeand given their characteristic shape. As herein shown this result is efi'ected by providing means for clamping the inner part of the feet of the Speciflcatibn of Letters Patent.

of the present,in revision of a tool Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Application filed April 13, 1912. Serial No. 690,474.

shank and a twisting tool arranged to engage the outer ends of the feet and bend them simultaneously in opposite directions.

In the preferred embodiment of the inventicn the bending tools operate first to form the eye of the shank with feet extending oppositely in alinemcnt and these sametool retracting ring broken away; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing the bending tools in the position which they occupy at the conclusion of the first step in bending the eye; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the tools in the position which they occupy after the sidebending tools have begun to act; Fig. l is a similar view showing the tools in the position they occupy at the conclusion of the operation of the side bending tools: Figs. 5 and ll are perspective views respectively ol" the concave bending tool and one of. the side bending t ols: Fig T and h are views in perspective of the bending and shank end twisting tool in two different po-' sitions, and Fig. l) is a view in perspective on an enlarged scale f one of the completed shanks. 7 The operation of the mechanism shown in the draiiiings will be more the shape of the. finished shank is first considered. As shown in Fig. 9. the shank coinpriscg an eve 3 of substantially circular shapmwhich merges at its lower side into a short st e infi. The wire of the. stem is bent in opposite directions forming the feet 7 which lie in the plane of the eve and in alincmcnt'with each other. The outer end-s 9 of the feet are bent in opposite directions in a plane at right anglesto the plane of the eye and are curved about a center approximately coinciding with the axis ol the eve 3. The. tool holder 6 comprises a disk having radially extending guideways formed in its surface and acentrally disposed l'oriner easily followed if bending tools of which the first to operate row, Big. 1, advances the tool 8 toward the former with the result that the wire which has previously been introduced between the tool and the former is partially bent into the shape shown in Fig. 2, that is, with its center portion curved about the former 4 and its ends extending at an angle somewhat less than 90 with each other.

The tools next operated are the side bending tools and 12 which are of similar character and comprise a curved portion which supplements the curved portion of the tool 8 and oppositely disposed projecting portions which form the stem of the eye. Upon the side opposite to the bending tool 8 the side bending tools are notched in order to receive the outwardly extending feet of the shank as will be explained hereinafter. The outer ends of the side bending tools 10 and 12 are beveled to coiiperate with the cam surfaces 18 and 20 formed'in the edge of the actuating disk 2. The result ell'ected by the operation of the side-bending tools is indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 from which it will be seen that their projecting ends first engage the outer side of the partially bent wire and in their advancing movement bend the wire completely about the former l leaving its ends projecting outwardly at an obtuse angle in the notches in the back of the bending tools.

The tool next operated is that which bends the feet of the shank into alinement with each other and comprises a spindle 22 set in the block 1-5- and having a slotted end adapted to receive. the feet of the, shank. Surrounding the spindl an is a sleeve l having segmental :amnlder and 13% formed on its end which extend llu h villi tluspindle. end. The slee e is also pyini-lwl with a handle 23 by which it may inpartially rotated. The outer end ol' the block 1! i hevelcd to c ilporate with a cam surface. l3 formed in the edge of ti). actuating disk 2 and in the continuous rotation of the disk 2 a l'ter the side bending tools 10 and 12 have been advanced to pmition shown in l'ig 4 the cam rillizltt 1.1 will act upon the block ll and :HlHlHz'c the spindle 2; which rem-inns the ends of ihe hire in its slot and bends them in ()llllflkllt Cll-"i'ffillnlls substantially at right angles to th Arm of the hank.

The shank is completed by bending the outer ends of its feet so that they extend in a plane at right angles to the plane of the eye and this is effected by turning the sleeve 24. In the initial position of the sleeve 2i the shoulder 26 is located above the projecting end of one of the feet of the c e while the shoulder Q; is located beneath the end of the other foot, the center of the inner portion of each foot being rigidly held in the. slot in the spindle 23 and clamped against the side bending tools 10 and 12. When the sleeve fit is turned from the po sition shown in Fig. 7 into that shown in Fig. 8 the ends of the feet which extend beyond the spindle .22 are bent in opposite directions about the cylindrical surface of the end of the spindle and a finished eye of the nature shown in Fig. S) is produced.

When the shank has been completed the actuating disk 2 is turned in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. l and the bending tools are moved outwardly to their initial position. This-reverse movement may be effected in any desired manner but as shown herein, each of the bending tools is provided with a cam pin 30 which engages a cam slot of suitable shape in a ring 32 secured to the surface of the actuating disk 2.

Any convenient means may be utilized for turning the twisting slee e ".24. For purposes of illustration there shown merely the. handle'QS which it will be apparent may be connected to any automatic actuating mechanism. lt will also be apparent that the wire may be introduced to the device and the completed shank removed by any suitable or desired means.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letlcrs latent of the United States is:

l. A device of the class described having, in combination, a stationary former, bending tools for shaping a wire about the former, a tool for bending the ends of the eye so formed into alinement with each other, and a twisting tool for bending part of the alined ends into a plane at right angles to the plane of the eye.

J; device of the class described having, in combination, cooperating tools for forming a button shank having an eye and opposite y extending feet in the plane of the eye, means 'l'ot holding the center portion ol the feet in the plane of the eye, and a. single tool for bending part of both of the feet in opposite directions and at right angles to the plane of the eye.

ll. A device of the class described having, in tffllllllllliltlflll. cooperating tools operating Hlltft'lhSlvflly in separate steps to form an eye havinL oppositely extruding ends in the plane ol the eye, IIlt'ilHS for maintaining the center portion of said ends in the plane of llb on a piece of Wire and being the eye, and a tool arranged to operate subsequently to the formation of the eye for bending part of each end in opposite directions at right angles to the plane of the 4:. A device of the class described having, in combination, cooperating tools movab e toward a common center to form an eye with outwardly extending ends, and another tool arranged to turn about a radially disposed axis to bend the ends of the eye simultaneously in opposite directions.

5. A device of the class described having, in combination, cooperating tools movable radially toward a common center to form an eye with outwardly extending feet and to clamp the part of the feet adjacent to the eye, and another tool arranged to turn about an axis disposed at right angles to the clamped feet of the eye and bend their ends in opposite directions out of the plane of the eye.

6. A device of the class described having, in combination, a stationary tool. holder having a plurality of bending tools shaped to perform a series of difl'erent operations movable in converging paths, and an oscillatory actuator havin a separate cam for operating eachof sai tools.

7. A device of the class described having, in combination, a tool holder having a former and a plurality of tools movable toward the former to form an eye about it and to clamp the eye so formed, an actuating plate cut awa at its center to receive the tool holder an having cams in its inner edge for operating the tools successively and a rotatable end bendin device movable with one of the bending too 3.

8. A device of the class described having, in combination, a tool holder having a plurality of bending tools movably mounted therein with their outer ends projectin beyond the periphery of the holder, an an actuating device surroundin the holder and tools having cam surface or causing the tools to operate when the tool holder and actuating device are moved relatively.

9. Mechanism for operating on an eye with oppositely disposed alined feet including means shaped to enga e and clamp the center portion of the feet a acent to the e e, and means movable relatively to the c amping means and transversely to the plane of the eye for bending the outer portion of each of the feet.

10. Mechanism for operating on an eye with oppositely disposed alined feet, including a spindle having a slot in its end, and a sleeve rotatable upon the spindle and having projecting shoulders on its end extending flush with the end of the spindle and arranged to enga e the ends of a wire held in the slot of t e spindle and bend them about the cylindrical surface of the spindle end.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

FRA KLIN G. NEUBERTH.

Witnesses:

HERBERT W. KENWAY, Norman C. Hussnr. 

